Houghton is a wealthy suburb situated north-east of the Johannesburg, South Africa, city centre. The suburb has traditionally been informally divided into Upper Houghton and Lower Houghton. Upper Houghton is the hilly southern portion located on a ridge, while northern Lower Houghton is flatter, and has a grid street pattern, with portions lying on both sides of the M1 freeway. Upper Houghton has been declared a National Heritage Area.

Houghton was developed as a residential area around the turn of the 20th Century, primarily by Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Company (JCI). Historically a wealthy area it contains many large homes and properties as well as some blocks of flats, and office parks on streets close to the M1, and on Louis Botha Avenue. There are few shops in Houghton itself, apart from those in petrol stations, however the area is close to numerous commercial nodes in Johannesburg, including those in Oaklands, Norwood, Killarney, Rosebank and Sandton.

There are good examples of art deco buildings in Houghton, and many of the large houses in the 1930s were good examples of the Modern style inspired by the work of Le Corbusier. The most famous resident of Houghton Estate is Nelson Mandela. Helen Suzman represented Houghton as a member of parliament from 1953 - 1989, and from 1961 to 1974 she was the only member of parliament unequivocally opposed to apartheid.

Houghton is centrally located on the M1 freeway, with interchanges at Glenhove Road, Eleventh Avenue, Riviera Road, 1st Avenue and Houghton Drive. The suburb, particularly Lower Houghton, is currently experiencing rapid redevelopment. Although many plots had already been subdivided in two, there is now a trend towards the development of cluster homes.

Houghton has two golf courses, Houghton and Killarney, and a large public park, The Wilds. Houghton is also home to the world famous Old Edwardians Sports Club. There are three major schools: King Edward VII School which is a public school for boys, St John's College a private Anglican school historically only for boys and Houghton Primary public school. Houghton is just a few blocks from the Johannesburg Zoological Gardens and the Zoo Lake Sports Club.